Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Red Spider Lily
Lycoris radiata
Plant the bulbs with the neck above the soil, and early fall arrives on bare scapes crowned in fiery red.
Partial shade
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–10
12–24 in · 30–61 cm
Overview
The red spider lily is autumn's quiet showpiece, a fall-flowering bulb in the amaryllis family that turns the change of season into an event. After the first cool rains, bare stems rise and open into clusters of scarlet, spidery flowers, timed almost to the calendar. Its leaves keep a separate schedule, so by bloom time the foliage has slipped away and the flowers stand alone above the bed.
What makes it such a designer's plant is its backwards calendar. Strappy green leaves arrive in fall to carry the border through winter, then retreat by late spring while the bulb rests out the summer heat. Come the turn toward fall, the flower scapes appear without a leaf in sight, a bit of theater that earned the fond names naked lily and surprise lily and a place along paths where the drama can be seen.
Hardy across roughly zones 6 to 10, these bulbs naturalize into the landscape, returning each year and widening into drifts that anchor a late-season scheme. They ask for one thing, and it shapes where they belong, which is sharp drainage. Give them a well-drained spot with the neck of the bulb above the soil, tuck them along a walk or the front of a bed, and they carry the season with little from you.
Care
The short version: set the bulbs in fall with the neck exposed in rich, well-drained soil, choose a spot in partial shade to full sun, water through the leafy and blooming months, then let the ground go dry while the bulb rests over summer.
Light
Partial shade flatters the red spider lily most, though it carries full sun to partial sun with ease, which makes it adaptable to many corners of a garden. Dappled light beneath tall trees is an ideal home, and a clump left in deep shade tends to sulk and stop flowering, so favor a brighter setting.
Water
Through the leafy and blooming season, keep the bed at medium moisture and water roughly every 7 to 14 days as the soil dries. When summer dormancy arrives, let the ground go dry and hold back, since standing moisture over the resting bulb is what undoes the whole planting.
Soil
A bed of organically rich, well-drained loam or sand gives it the footing it likes. It is easygoing about pH across 6.0 to 8.0, so most gardens qualify, but it will not settle into waterlogged ground, so lighten heavy soil with grit or compost before planting.
Temperature
Its range is generous, taking winter lows near -9°F (-23°C) and summer heat up to about 86°F (30°C) in stride. That comfort zone spans most temperate gardens within its zones, so once it is settled the weather rarely disrupts the yearly show.
Humidity
There is no humidity to fuss over, since ordinary outdoor air suits it perfectly. Drainage does far more for this bulb than any reading of the air, because the risk it cares about is wet soil rather than a dry or muggy spell.
Feeding
A balanced bulb fertilizer in fall and again in spring, while the foliage builds next year's flowers, keeps a planting generous. That seasonal feed during leaf growth is the whole of its appetite, and nothing more is asked.
Pruning
This is a low-maintenance resident with almost nothing to cut. Let the foliage die back on its own after the flowers pass so the bulb can restock, then clear away only the spent scapes and withered leaves to keep the bed tidy.
Repotting
Left in place, the planting settles into its best form and richest flowering. Divide only every 3 to 5 years, or a little sooner if the bulbs crowd, the bloom thins, or bulbs begin lifting themselves out of the soil.
Size & spacing
12–24 in (30–61 cm) tall
When to plant
Plan around a schedule that runs opposite the rest of the garden. Plant in late summer to fall, let the leaves furnish the beds through winter and fade by spring, then wait for the bare scapes to make their late summer or early fall entrance.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bulbs in late summer to fall with the bulb neck exposed above soil level
- Harvest: Late summer to early fall (August to September)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–10
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Most disappointments with this plant lead back to the bulb, whether it is sitting too wet or set at the wrong depth. The signs below read clearly, and a single afternoon with a trowel usually restores the display. Match the symptom to its cause and step in before a whole drift fades.
Soft, mushy bulbs that never break the surface
The trouble is bulb rot, and it traces to soggy ground rather than any disease a spray could reach. Bulbs left standing in wet soil through the summer rest brown and turn foul from within. Lift the planting, discard whatever has gone soft, and reset only the firm bulbs in well-drained soil with the neck kept above the surface.
Fix:
- Lift affected bulbs and discard any that are soft or rotted
- Replant healthy firm bulbs in well-drained soil with the neck exposed
- Withhold water during the summer dormant period
Hollowed, tunneled bulbs with weak or missing growth
Here the visitor is the narcissus bulb fly, whose larvae tunnel in and eat out the heart of a bulb. Dig a suspect one and a single plump grub usually sits in a soft, hollowed core. Destroy anything infested, replant only firm bulbs, and turn the surrounding soil to bring the pupae into the open.
Fix:
- Lift and destroy infested bulbs
- Replant only firm, healthy bulbs
- Cultivate soil around plantings to expose pupae
Handsome foliage but few or no flowers
When the leaves look full yet the blooms fail to appear, the bulbs are almost always planted too deep. This lily wants the top of the neck at or above the soil line, never buried. Lift and reset the bulbs shallow, thin any crowding, and give a newly moved planting a season or two to settle before it performs.
Fix:
- Replant bulbs with the top of the neck exposed above soil level
- Allow a few seasons for clumps to establish before expecting bloom
- Thin overcrowded clumps and site in full sun to partial shade
Toxicity
For all its elegance, this is a plant to place with care. Every part holds lycorine and related alkaloids, and the bulb is the most dangerous of all, so it is not safe for cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, livestock, birds, or people. Wear gloves while handling the bulbs and site them well out of reach of pets and children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that samples any part usually drools, vomits, and develops diarrhea. The bulb is the true hazard, since a large dose can bring on tremors or convulsions, so keep it out of a curious cat's reach.
Dogs Mild
A dog that chews the leaves, or digs up and swallows a bulb, tends to drool, vomit, and pass loose stools. The bulb holds the most alkaloid, so a big mouthful can trigger tremors or seizures, and bulbs belong well out of a dog's way.
Horses Toxic
The lycorine in foliage and bulbs affects horses severely, with heavy salivation, colicky pain, and diarrhea. Keep grazing animals clear of any planting.
Rabbits Toxic
These bulbs are no treat for a rabbit, and even a small taste of leaf or bulb can leave one drooling, off its food, and unsettled in the gut, so fence the plants out of reach.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep that graze the foliage or turn up bulbs may drool, scour, and weaken from the alkaloids. Keep stock off any ground where the bulbs are growing.
Birds Toxic
The alkaloids reach birds as well, so a curious parrot or backyard hen pecking at any part risks vomiting and gut distress. Keep birds away from the plant and its bulbs.
People Caution
No part of this plant belongs on the table. Swallowing leaves or, above all, the bulb brings nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, so wash hands after handling and keep curious children at a distance.
Wear gloves when handling and dividing bulbs and wash hands afterward; keep bulbs out of reach of pets and children.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
The red spider lily most people plant is a single familiar form, though a second exists that parts ways with it once seed enters the story.
Lycoris radiata var. radiata
This is the form nearly every garden grows, a sterile triploid that seldom sets seed and instead extends its drifts by multiplying offset bulbs.
Lycoris radiata var. pumila
This smaller, fertile diploid does set viable seed, which is what draws breeders to it.
How to propagate
Filling out a planting is refreshingly easy, since the bulbs increase on their own and a crowded clump divides into new drifts at no cost. Seed suits only certain forms and asks for a patience that rarely fits a garden's timetable.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Early summer when foliage has died back and bulbs are dormant · One to a few growing seasons before reliable bloom
The simplest way to widen a planting is to let the bulbs do it, since they naturalize on their own through offsets. In early summer, once the foliage has died back and the bulbs are dormant, lift a clump, twist off the offsets, and replant each with the neck exposed. Allow a season or a few before the new drifts settle and flower well.
DivisionEasy
Summer dormancy after foliage dies back · One to a few growing seasons
When a clump grows crowded, lift and split it during the summer dormancy after the leaves have withered, then replant the pieces without delay. Do not be surprised if the display takes a season or two off while the divisions re-establish.
SeedDemanding
When ripe, on fertile diploid forms only · Several years to flowering
Seed rarely repays the long wait. The common garden triploid is sterile and almost never sets viable seed, so this route belongs only to the fertile diploid forms, and even then several years pass before the first flower opens.
Myths
The red spider lily is just another name for the surprise lily.
They are two separate species, and it pays to know which belongs where. Lycoris radiata opens red and tolerates far less cold, while Lycoris squamigera blooms pink-lilac and stands up to much colder winters, so a scheme built for one should not lean on the other.
The plant is safe because pets tend to leave it alone.
That is fortune, not safety. Every part carries toxic lycorine alkaloids, with the bulb the worst of them, and a cat or dog that does sample it can be left drooling, vomiting, and unwell with diarrhea, so place it thoughtfully and keep it beyond reach.